[dheepak10]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Duster spotted in India. I love it - the car looks BIG!

Thanks for the pics Swiftnfurious

Looks like Renault has a probable winner at hands; pricing the diesel model anywhere below 9.5-10 lakh range would definitely add the duster to the wishlist of most people.

[sansvk]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Ask me!!! I am a Ford Figo TDCi owner and when it costs me Rs. 5000/- for a normal 20K service it really burns a hole in the pocket! So if the Renault can bring down this cost either by increasing the time duration for servicing or by lowering the spare parts and servicing cost, it surely will make a difference!

OT, got to disagree on the service costs. I have owned a Swift and now a Figo. You can get a ford figo serviced for Rs3.6K@20K (without wheel alignment & balancing); Swift would be around Rs5to6K@20K(without wheel alignment & balancing) and Polo would be Rs6to8K@15K. Ford's service costs are competitive not exorbitant.
Service costs with 10 to15K interval doesnt make a much of a difference; Fuel economy and spare parts (outside of warranty) would be differentiators in the long run.

[swiftnfurious]

Official confirmation on Duster Auto Expo unveiling.

Renault India has confirmed the showcasing of the mini SUV Duster at the Delhi Auto Expo on January 6. The Renault version of the Dacia Duster sports a revised center console, new alloy wheels, and a dash of chrome on its front-end.

Renault announced its plans to sell the 4×2 and 4×4 versions of the mini SUV in India in 2012 during an event in Delhi to handover keys to Fluence’s first fourteen customers. Renault officials had then stated two Dusters could be bought for the price of a Volkswagen Tiguan. The model reaching Auto Expo/India was premiered at the Buenos Aires Expo back in June.

Looks like the 4x4 plan is ON.

Source : Renault Duster to be unveiled at Auto Expo - In Pictures

Originally Posted by sansvk

You can get a ford figo serviced for Rs3.6K@20K (without wheel alignment & balancing); Swift would be around Rs5to6K@20K(without wheel alignment & balancing)

Wanted to state the same, but thought it would be off-topic. Figo's service cost is cheap compared to Swift's!

[bala80]

Thanks for sharing the pics swiftnfurious. It certainly does look big.

But then, wasn't it supposed to be a compact cross over? This doesnt look anywhere near compact. Little bit of googling threw up 4.3m as the length of the car, cant really get an perspective of the actual size from this picture though...

Edit - 2 duster's for the price of a VW tiguan, I'm sure they are not talking about India, even then I find this comment pretty amusing!

[shankar.balan]

4.3 m is just a bit bigger than the Yeti in terms of length.
But the Duster's GC is around 200mm as far as I ve read, so it is going to be a pretty useful bad roader if not off roader!

Originally Posted by bala80

Thanks for sharing the pics swiftnfurious. It certainly does look big.

But then, wasn't it supposed to be a compact cross over? This doesnt look anywhere near compact. Little bit of googling threw up 4.3m as the length of the car, cant really get an perspective of the actual size from this picture though...

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by bala80

Little bit of googling threw up 4.3m as the length of the car, cant really get an perspective of the actual size from this picture though...

Guess they will redesign the car to bring it under 4m to avail the excise duty benefits. From a length perspective the car is compact at 4.3m I believe. The "size" perspective may be due to the width, the GC & muscle wheel arches etc.

[shivasuma]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Guess they will redesign the car to bring it under 4m to avail the excise duty benefits. From a length perspective the car is compact at 4.3m I believe. The "size" perspective may be due to the width, the GC & muscle wheel arches etc.

I dont think its possible to get it under 4m. They would have to shave of 0.3m. I just hope the govt removes this under 4m rule and rather concentrate on safety standards and FE.

[CRtorquefan]

Called Renault dealer for their upcoming hatchback 'Pulse' & on the same time asked for Duster SUV too.
As per their SE, Duster will arrive by mid of 2012 & is going to be priced in range of Rs.8-10 lacs. However, Rs.7 lacs isn't a possible/feasible pricing for car of this much Robust size, Quality & features.

[Fusion2006]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

It certainly seems a good sized vehicle but there's really no point if they do not offer it in the Top Euro Spec with 4WD and all the bells and whistles.
Without all the functional bits all one will be getting is a large hunk of metal and rubber which doesnt cut it for me at least.
However, who knows, they may yet pull something out of their collective hats and surprise us!

I definitely hope they have a version with all bells and whistles...but I think I could also live without the 4WD. The ground clearance should certainly take care of the poor roads. As for off-road driving, it's probably not something I would ever do. And even if I did, 99% of the time I would NOT be off-road.

So...do I want all the bells and whistles? Yes!

Do I need 4WD? Nah, it's just a "nice to have" - and if leaving it out brings down the price to a reasonable level, then all the better.

[GSM]

Guys!

Came across this info in IAB, that you can buy Two Renault Dusters at the Price for One Volkswagen Tiguan (quoting some Renault Official). Does anybody have any idea about Tiguan's price? I can't find one in Indian websites.

Source:

Cheers

[Firebird]

Here is the link to US site

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Photo Gallery | Volkswagen

So that looks to 12 to 13L.

I dont think, that money can buy 2 Dusters'. I still feel u can buy only one and use rest of the money for Fuel and accessories

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

3 Stars seem pretty good enough. Considering that SUVs have never fared very well in terms Safety Ratings. But if the upcoming Ford EcoSport comes out with a 5 star rating, it could turn interesting. But sadly, not many look at these ratings in our country, the numbers that matter for the average Indian customer is
1. ARAI fuel efficiency numbers.
2. Pricing
So safety rating might not influence buying decision here

I think people in India, like those in most countries, want a value for money product. It might be unfair to say that people here want only ARAI fuel efficency numbers. Heck, most people here mock ARAI, since their fuel efficency figures are considered to be hugely inflated and unachievable in real life.

Going by your logic, Tata Vista and Manza should be selling the most in their categories, especially with the 25kmpl figures, however, thats not the case.

Increasingly, people are insisting on ABS and airbags on their cars, and are willing to pay for these safety features. I for one would definitely prefer a 5 star rated car over a 3 star one, all else being same.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Increasingly, people are insisting on ABS and airbags on their cars, and are willing to pay for these safety features. I for one would definitely prefer a 5 star rated car over a 3 star one, all else being same.

I agree, more and more people have started traveling long distances and understand the need for more safety options such as ABS. The problem is that most of the auto manufacturers reserve safety features for top variant.
As a result, consumers with limited budget are restricted to look at mileage figures. I hope Nissan's approach inspires other auto manufactures to provide essential safety features in all variants.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

I agree, more and more people have started traveling long distances and understand the need for more safety options such as ABS. The problem is that most of the auto manufacturers reserve safety features for top variant.
As a result, consumers with limited budget are restricted to look at mileage figures. I hope Nissan's approach inspires other auto manufactures to provide essential safety features in all variants.

You are not far off, but I'd beg to differ.

You see, even though there are a few more people around who understand the need for safety, there are so many more people who feel that they can 'save' some money and opt for the mid or base variant because they're ignorant about the safety features.

These people believe that airbags and ABS don't help and just add to the cost of the car. They aren't going to be going fast anyway in the city so what's the need, right?

And on a different spectrum, there is a certain bunch of people who believe that the safety-features should save them from situations where even The Almighty may not be able to.

And then there are the genuine and the aware who know the importance of such features. If this can be propagated on a wider level, we can nullify this pattern of providing safety features only on the top-end-variant, and ensure that car-companies don't put a price on safety.

I'm going OT here. Sorry, guys.

I sincerely hope Renault gives the customers the safety-features that they deserve to have, after spending a lot of money on a vehicle that they're trusting their lives with. It's the least they can do.

It's sad to see Honda not doing the same with the Brio.

[nitinralli]

Confirmed news from a reliable source:

• Price starting from 6.8 lakhs for petrol
• Diesel will be powered by 2 different engines
• But both will be 1.5 L but different power
• Launch in August
• Mileage of 18-21 kmpl

The other news i got was that they are working on a SUV named Senic in the price range of fortuner and launch in Feb 2013.

Also Infiniti will be launched soon too. And they are planning to open a new factory in Gujrat soon for other new lineups.

Rest will update as i know more, especially for Senic.